The original text: A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State , the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. My reading: There are two sets of citizens discussed in the Second Amendment. One group is the set of ALL citizens, named " the People. " The other set is those who bear arms in the service of the government. This includes armed police officers, National Guardsmen, Sheriffs, FBI agents etc. They are named " the militia ." It seems crystal clear to me that the militia and the people are two different groups. When the Constitution is written there are no public police forces -- policing is usually a soldiers job. 2A states that that in order for a State to be secure in it's free dom, the militia cannot be out of control -- they must be regulated. The only check (regulation) on the militia is to make sure that the People have the ability to confront the militia . ...
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